Being a striker, by design, means you have the chance to score meaningful goals. Bethlehem senior striker Kevin Piccolino certainly confounded Suburban Council opponents throughout the regular season.

"I want to feel like an enemy," Piccolino said.

Piccolino's penchant for scoring crucial goals was never more evident than in two encounters against Shenendehowa.

On Sept. 10, Piccolino scored on a penalty shot to propel the Eagles to a 1-0 victory. The teams met again in the Section II Class AA final. Piccolino's tally in the shootout decided things and powered Bethlehem into the state playoffs.

"He has a knack for scoring big goals — game-winning goals," Bethlehem coach Phil Ridgway said. "Kevin has probably had the best year he has ever had. He has come along and he is finishing."

After tallying seven goals as a junior, Piccolino tops the Eagles in goals with 16 to go along with three assists.

"Scoring is great, but someone has to pass me the ball," Piccolino said. "It is really a credit to the rest of the guys."

The next challenge for Piccolino and the Eagles (17-2-1), ranked No. 3 in the state, comes in the form of top-ranked Fairport (18-1-1) in the state Class AA semifinals Saturday at Middletown High School. Game time is 4 p.m.

"I thought we could win sectionals, but to get this far is amazing," Piccolino said.

Piccolino is correct in that his teammates have done a fabulous job of setting him up for quality chances, but the senior has also expanded his skill set and become quite adept at putting the ball in the back of the net.

During the offseason, Ridgway asked Piccolino to focus on a couple of areas in order to enhance his game.

"For me, it was to work on his finishing and his foot skills. He's done both really well," Ridgway said. "The style that we play with him being the No. 9, the center forward, is the way we shape our team and he just gets the ball. He has more opportunities this year and, with his skill maturation, has displayed the ability to finish."

In addition to club soccer, Piccolino said countless summer sessions working out with teammates at the town park proved invaluable.

Piccolino started with soccer at the age of three. He also briefly played baseball, but found there was not enough movement in the game for his liking.

On the pitch, Piccolino's is constant movement and that puts a great deal of strain of the opposition's defense.

"I get to run," Piccolino said. "I like being able to chase down balls and apply pressure."

"Kevin has a tremendous work rate and he's very mature," Ridgway said of one of the Eagles' captains. "Sometimes a striker can have a hat trick against a weaker team, but to have a player score big goals in big games is huge. That is what we've got with him."